Libby MacCarthy
Sustainable Brands
Trending: Climate-Smart Street Furniture, Infrastructure Helping Future-Fit Cities of Tomorrow
Product, Service & Design Innovation / To usher cities towards a carbon-neutral future, local governments around the globe are hedging their bets on diesel and petrol vehicles bans. But eliminating fossil fueled mobility isn’t the only way to reduce emissions. Smart street furniture and innovative urban infrastructure are fast emerging as viable — and impactful — solutions to the CO2 problem. - 5 years ago
Q&A: Dr. John Izzo on Creating Competitive Advantage in an Age of Social Good
Walking the Talk / Good products and profits have long been the hallmark of successful businesses, but in a shifting economic landscape these traditional metrics no longer hold up, as consumers, employees and investors are increasingly looking to corporations to act on environmental and social issues. So how can businesses succeed in an age of disruption? - 5 years ago
Trending: Int'l Women's Day Spawns Host of Social Impact Partnerships, Films, Campaigns
Marketing and Comms / At a moment when the world is beginning to more fully acknowledge the power and voice of women, big name brands and organizations are using their influence — and some creative marketing — to shed light on issues such as the gender pay gap and the lack of opportunities for women in STEM. - 5 years ago
NFL, PepsiCo Team Up to Score Zero Waste at Super Bowl LII
Waste Not / The NFL has joined forces with PepsiCo, Aramark, U.S. Bank Stadium and the Minnesota Sports Facility Authority to make Super Bowl LII a zero-waste event. Together, the partners have launched Rush2Recycle, a game plan to recover more than 90 percent — over 40 tons — of stadium waste during Super Bowl LII on Sunday, February 4. This zero-waste effort aims to leave a positive legacy at U.S. Bank Stadium and create a playbook for other leagues, teams, sites operators and fans to curb waste in their own communities. - 5 years ago
Q&A: How Schneider Electric’s NEO Network Is Shaping the Future of Renewables in Europe
Cleantech / Europe’s appetite for renewables is growing rapidly, and countries including Germany, Scotland and Denmark have already established themselves as leaders in renewable energy generation. However, the voluntary market for commercial and industrial participation has, as a whole, been slower to develop compared to the more aggressive US, Indian and Mexican markets. - 5 years ago
Unilever Brings Sustainable Beauty to the Masses with Love Beauty and Planet Line
Product, Service & Design Innovation / Just one month after the launch of its new natural personal care product line ApotheCARE Essentials, Unilever has rolled out yet another responsible beauty brand: Love Beauty and Planet. And it’s kind of a big deal — unlike ApotheCARE Essentials, which has a limited distribution, LBP is being launched on a large scale. - 5 years ago
225 Global Investors Team Up to Spur Most Polluting Companies Into Action on Climate Change
Finance & Investment / Climate risk poses a considerable threat to investors, who stand to lose millions If companies fail to address unsustainable elements in their supply chains. Yet despite growing pressure for action, a vast majority of companies have yet to make meaningful changes. - 5 years ago
Trending: Improved Resource Efficiency Signals Major Win for Circularity in Fashion, Carpet, Steel
Waste Not / Circular principles continue to drive a more sustainable future, as the fashion, carpet and steel industries zero in on resource efficiency and innovative raw materials. - 5 years ago
Trending: Algae, Ocean Plastics Pave the Way for More Sustainable Consumer Products
Chemistry, Materials & Packaging / Petroleum-based plastic’s time is running out as new, more sustainable material solutions emerge. According to the International Air Transport Association, 5.2 million tons of waste were generated by airline passengers in 2016. With the release of its new OCN cosmetic range, Galileo Watermark, a producer of amenity kits and a leader in onboard hospitality design and development for the travel and retail industries, is working to drive these numbers down. - 5 years ago
Patagonia Blacks Out Homepage, Calls on Consumers to Protect Public Lands
Walking the Talk / Outdoor retailer Patagonia is no stranger to throwing its weight behind worthy causes, particularly those aligned with its mission to “use business to inspire and implement solutions to the environmental crisis.” In the past, this has included shuttering its doors on Election Day to highlight pressing environmental issues, donating 100 percent of its Black Friday sales to environmental organizations, calling for a boycott of the Outdoor Retailer - 5 years ago
What Is Your Company’s True Value to Society? The Answer Might Surprise You
Chemistry, Materials & Packaging / While carbon emissions and water and energy efficiency are top-of-mind concerns for companies keen on reducing the environmental impacts of their products, a sustainable future can’t be achieved without considering chemistry — the foundation upon which countless products are built. We’ve already begun to see progress on this front, with an increasing number of companies embracing better chemicals management practices. - 5 years ago
Sustainable Surf, MAFIA Bags Launch Sustainable Daypack Made Entirely from Waste
Waste Not / Sustainable Surf, a nonprofit focused on protecting ocean health, has teamed up with Swiss designer Yves Béhar and MAFIA Bags, a Bay Area-based brand making bags and backpacks from upcycled sails, to create an urban adventure bag that supports the local community and diverts valuable resources from landfill. - 5 years ago
ASICS, Stahl Partner with bluesign® to Strengthen Chemical Management, Sustainability
Chemistry, Materials & Packaging / Chemicals management continues to go mainstream, with sporting goods manufacturer ASICS Corporation and chemical company Stahl joining the growing body of brands, manufacturers and chemical suppliers to achieve bluesign® system partner status. - 5 years ago
Practicing Purpose: How to Turn Social Purpose Into Growth
Walking the Talk / Launched during SB’17 Detroit, the Practice of Purpose Project seeks to drive the widespread adoption of social purpose by identifying the differences between traditional marketing and marketing based on purpose-drive brand strategies. - 5 years ago
The Role of Communication in Shifting Away from Fossil-Based Supply Chains
Business Case / Consumer demand for more socially and environmentally responsible products continues to rise, a trend that is increasingly putting pressure on companies to embrace materials and processes with less pronounced impacts. The business case is clear — act now or risk falling behind — yet the road to sustainability is not so cut and dry. Adopting innovative methods and exploiting new business opportunities while making them understandable and attractive to customers is a considerable challenge. - 5 years ago
Why Investing in Workplace Gender Equality Is an Investment in Sustainability
Organizational Change / Corporate sustainability goes far beyond carbon emissions and water efficiency. Workplace gender equality is quickly catching up to science-based targets and circular design in terms of the elements crucial for building businesses that can compete in a rapidly evolving economic landscape that values social and environmental responsibility. - 5 years ago
Trending: Making Sustainable Fashion More Accessible to Consumers
Organizational Change / Stella McCartney has long been an advocate for responsible, sustainable fashion and was one of the first high profile labels to put forth products that struck the perfect balance of aesthetics and ethics. Unfortunately, as a luxury label, the brand is out of reach for a majority of the masses. Affordable alternatives do, however, exist yet the marketing of responsible threads has largely focused on claims — organic, Fair Trade, etc. — rather than the clothing’s sartorial appeal, representing missed opportunities to connect with consumers. - 5 years ago
Stella McCartney Commissions First-Ever LCA for Manmade Cellulosic Fibers
Supply Chain / Luxury fashion label Stella McCartney has released the results of a new Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) comparing the environmental performance of ten raw material sources of manmade cellulose fiber (MMCF). - 5 years ago
KIND Foundation Launches ‘Empatico’ Platform to Connect Students Globally, Foster Empathy
Behavior Change / On its quest to create a kinder, healthier world — one snack at a time — the KIND Foundation, a nonprofit established by KIND Snacks, has launched a $20 million, multi-year initiative to inspire meaningful interactions between kids across the world and foster empathy. Empatico is a free online learning tool that enables students to practice communication and leadership skills needed in a divided country and interdependent world. - 5 years ago
DONG Energy Re-Emerging as Ørsted to Commemorate Oil, Gas Divestment
Organizational Change / Over the past decade, Danish energy company DONG Energy has ambitiously transitioned away from oil and coal to transform itself into one of Europe’s cleanest, most sustainable energy companies. - 5 years ago